Neutron transport analysis of C5G7-TD benchmark with PANDAS-MOC

Abstract

Here we present a newly developed neutronics code, PANDAS-MOC (Purdue Advanced Neutronics Design and Analysis System with Methods of Characteristics), to find the high fidelity solutions for the steady state and transient neutron transport analysis. Its essential method is the 2D/1D coupling method, in which the 2D planar solution is determined by the method of characteristics (MOC) along groups of characteristic tracks, the 1D axial solution is solved by the nodal expansion method (NEM), and they are coupled by the transverse leakage. The calculation is further accelerated by multi-level coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) method. Moreover, its transport capability is verified by the 2D and 3D exercises of the C5G7-TD benchmark. The estimated eigenvalue of the steady-state, and the fractional core fission rate and reactivity over the transient activities are well-agreed with the published results of other codes, such as MPACT and nTRACER.